All the Pretty Colours
by Hawki
Summary: Oneshot: The Lions had new pilots, but those pilots hadn't changed their colours. Pidge could tell something was afoot. Something that only she could see. That, or sleep deprivation was making her paranoid. One or the other.


**All the Pretty Colours**

"Um, Pidge? You in there?" Hunk gently knocked at the door that led to the hanger holding Green Lion. "Pidge?"

There was no answer. Which meant that either the green paladin was with her lion and was staying quiet, or she wasn't. If she wasn't, then then they definitely had a problem, because that meant they were a paladin down, or there was a place in the castle that Hunk hadn't found. If she was in there, and wasn't answering, then he still had a problem. Because they already had one emo on the team, and it was the same guy who kept heading off to fight alongside the Blade of Marmora.

"Yeah, okay Pidge," Hunk said. He typed in an override code and the doors hissed open. "Coming in now. Feel free to just shout out to avoid an embarrassing situation for us both."

The doors continued to open, revealing the Green Lion's hanger. Basically the same as every other lion hanger in the castle. Hunk looked up at the creature, caught in an upright pose, its eyes closed as well.

_Lions. Why did it have to be lions? _He walked into the hanger. _Like, why not tigers? And, what, the alteans just happen to create creatures that phenotypically resemble lions on Earth, despite the laws of evolution making it impossible that such creatures would evolve independently on separate worlds? _He shook his head. _Gah. Starting to think like-_

"Hah!"

"Pidge?!"

A green energy whip wrapped around him. Like a lion tamer's whip, it cracked, sending him falling onto the ground. Before he could react, he found himself looking at a very angry paladin pointing a small green device at him, peering at him from behind glasses. And behind them, Pidge's eyes.

"Hey, buddy…" Hunk said nervously.

"Pidge's very, _very _bloodshot eyes.

"Hunk," she whispered. She got to her feet and deactivated the whip. "Oh. Good. You're not one of them."

"Um…them?"

"_Them_," she hissed, nodding at the hanger door. She headed over and pressed the inside panel, causing it to close. "Not like them, no. You, me, we're the last true paladins left."

"Pidge, are you feeling okay?" Hunk asked.

"Okay?" She looked at Hunk and smiled, reminding Hunk of a vampire holo he'd once seen – the type that had given him nightmares for a week. "Why wouldn't I be okay? I mean, the others are just after Green over here."

"The others?"

"But not you," she whispered. She walked over and put her hands on her belly, causing it to wobble. "Oh no. I'm Green, and you're Yellow. Got to stick together. Yes…"

Hunk stood back, reminded less of vampires and more of _Lord of the Rings_. Like, Pidge was Gollum, he was Samwise, and he was being creeped out. Hey, they even had a dark lord to overthrow as well.

"Not like the others…" Pidge continued to mumble, as she began walking over towards her lion. "No. Not like them. You, me…yes…so precious…"

"Okay, that's it," Hunk said. He put a hand on Pidge's shoulder and she looked at him. "Come on. Out with it. How long has it been since you slept?"

"Sleep?" She giggled, before frowning. "Sleep is for the weak Hunk! Am I weak?"

_No, but you're clearly either high, or sleep deprived._

Pidge turned round and kept walking to her lion. Hunk watched on, mouth agape, as she began running her cheek against its leg. Its giant, armoured, "forged of metal unknown to human science" leg.

"No-one will take you from me…" she whispered. She kissed the leg and looked up at her beast. "Isn't that right girl? You, me, BFFs forever, right?"

"Um, Pidge?"

"Right?!" She looked back at Hunk.

"Um, sure. Right."

"Right, right." She looked back at her lion and went back to the head-rubbing. "Mine. Still mine. Always will be mine! No-one will take you from me. No-one."

"Pidge, who's going to take Green from you? Lotor?"

"Lotor? Hah!" She looked round at Hunk. "You think elf-ears is going to take my precious baby from me. No. No way." She shook her head, before whispering, "the others, Hunk. Keith, Lance, Allura…they want Green…but they won't get her…not now…not ever…"

"Pidge, why would they want your lion?"

She glared at him. "You saying there's something wrong with my girl?" She got out her bayard.

"What? No."

Pidge looked up at her lion's jaw. "Don't listen to him girl. He's just crazy."

_Takes one to know one._

"The others want Green," Pidge whispered. "They want everything. They switch, and change, but their true colours show."

"Okay Pidge, slow down," Hunk said. "I'm sure there's an explanation for…I'm sorry, what's the issue again?"

Pidge scowled. "You haven't seen it?" she whispered.

"Seen what?"

"The colours!"

Hunk stared at her.

"Keith starts off piloting Red Lion, but then he changes to piloting Black. But does he change his armour colour?" She shook her head. "Nup. No way. Nuh-uh."

Hunk looked at his own armour. Did it even change colour? The thought had never crossed his mind. Long as it wasn't orange, he didn't care. Because seriously, who liked orange?

"Keith pilots Black, but wears red." Pidge began pacing around, muttering to herself. "True colours, still showing, always showing…pilots Black, still wants Red…"

Hunk smirked. "Think Lance will-"

"Lance?!" Pidge exclaimed. She giggled. "Poor Lance. Pilots Blue, gets Red. But still wears blue, not the red. Feels blue. Pines for pretty princesses and loner boys, gets red when he sees who once wore red, but he's feeling blue, so he wears blue while wearing red…"

"Okay Pidge, calm down, you're scaring me," Hunk said. He glanced back at the hanger door. "Hey, why don't I get-"

"Allura!"

"Um, no, I was going to suggest Coran, but-"

"Liar, deceiver, witch!" Pidge spat. She began walking to Hunk. "Takes Blue. Too good at it. Still wears pink. Is there a pink lion?"

"Um…no?"

"No!" Pidge rubbed her eyes. "Up to something I tell ya. She's had it out for us since day one. First Blue Lion, tomorrow, the world!"

"The world?"

"No. Not the world. Voltron!" She let out a scream. "Allura's after Voltron!"

"Um, yeah, it's kind of her thing."

"And Keith, and Lance…they're all in on it. Heck, Coran's probably in on it. But they can't hide their colours Hunk. No way. Nuh-uh."

Hunk began to wonder if he should just knock Pidge out. She'd yell at him in the morning, but right now, that seemed like a small price to pay.

"You believe me Hunk, don't you?" Pidge whispered. She stared at him in a way that made him feel…well, not hungry, but like eating something might fix everything. "I'm Green. You're Yellow. Still got our colours Hunk. You wouldn't betray me, would you?"

"Um…"

"Or…" Pidge backed away, a look of horror on her face. "Oh. Oh I see it."

"See what?"

"It! I see _it!_" She pointed her bayard at Hunk. "You're after Green, aren't you? You want to pilot my baby girl!"

"Whoa, hold on Pidge, I-"

"No. No way!" Pidge continued to rant as she continued to back away from the yellow paladin. "She's mine! All mine! You can't have her! None of you can have her! You think that you can just help yourselves to any old lions and not even change the colours of your paladin suits, you've got another thing-"

"Pidge, look out!"

"…coming!"

Another thing was coming. The inevitable result of Pidge backing away too fast so that she bumped up against her lion's leg. She stumbled. She fell.

"Pidge!"

Hunk ran forward. Not nearly enough to catch her. But soon enough to arrive in time to see that his friend was out cold.

"Pidge?"

There was no answer.

"Pidge!"

"All…mine…" she whispered, before she started to snore.

"Oh. Oh God. Thank goodness." Hunk knelt down in front of his friend. "Heh. Really was just sleep deprivation wasn't it? Plus paranoia."

"Mine…kill them all…never have Green…"

"Yeah, groovy kid, I'm just gonna take you to bed and forget this ever happened." Hunk lifted the girl up in his arms. "Just gonna…" He trailed off, looking up at the Green Lion. Still there, like a silent sentinel. Eyes closed.

"The heck you looking at?"

Not moving. Not making any sign it was aware of what was going on.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Hunk said. "You and Pidge got a thing. Well, Yellow and I have a thing, and it's pretty sweet, and…" He shook his head. "Look, just, don't turn orange, okay? I hate orange. In fact, the only thing I hate more than orange is…" He yawned and turned around. "Ugh. Y'know what? Never mind. I'm outta here."

He kept walking out of the hanger, not bothering to look back.

Not seeing Green's eye open and close in a wink.

* * *

_A/N_

_So, I drabbled this up while watching season 3 of VLD and...okay, I'm just gonna ask it. Am I the only one put off by the fact that in the space of a few episodes, we get three 'lion changes,' and neither Keith, nor Lance, nor Allura, change the colours of their suits? Anyone?_

_Stupid question - I know the answer's no, but I'm left to ask why altean technology can do everything from creating giant lions to itty bitty bayards, and they didn't think of suit colour changes in the process 0_0_


End file.
